Chapter 37: Threat

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[Girl’s Short Skirt]
[Item Quality: Intermediate (Grade B)]
[Item Description: A side item obtained in the Grade B scenario “The World of Young Arfen.” Upon use, it transforms the user into the appearance of a woman under twenty-five.]
[Note: Must be worn during use. Duration is only thirty minutes. If a man uses this item, the duration is halved—after all, no one likes a pervert.]

Displaying the pink short skirt in hand, Ji Linmo shook it at the “Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan.”
The pink skirt fluttered lightly in midair.

“Granny Gu, I’ve seen your old photographs. You were truly beautiful.”
“Don’t you want to regain your former appearance?”

At these words, “Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan” was taken aback.
Clearly, she heard the implication in Ji Linmo’s words and gazed at him warily.
“Young man, what are you getting at?”
“I’m proposing a trade, Granny Gu.”

Without waiting for her response, Ji Linmo, right before her eyes, slipped the skirt onto himself.
In an instant, the tall masculine figure transformed, becoming the very image from the old photograph of “Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan” in her youth that he had seen in the bedroom.

“This—!?”
Gu Yulan’s expression was one of shock. She stared at the younger version of herself standing before her, lips trembling, her hand involuntarily reaching out to caress the face she once had.

—In the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling window, there stood a woman in a theatrical costume, graceful and refined, her silhouette slender, her eyes luminous with autumnal brilliance, every movement exuding an air of classical Eastern elegance.

It was Ji Linmo’s first time using such an item, and the transformation was flawless.
The only minor flaw was that, since the photo had been in black and white, even as Ji Linmo tried to fill in the color from memory, the costume still ended up a jarring mix of bright red and green hues.

“Granny Gu, this dress will let you return to your youthful self for half an hour each day. No more need to wear a human-skin mask.”

Gu Yulan’s pupils quivered.
To return to her former self for half an hour?
“Young man, tell me, what is it you want me to do?”

Sensing her interest, Ji Linmo withdrew the item, returning to his own form, and spread his hand before Granny Gu.
“I just need a small favor.”
“In half an hour, at ten o’clock this morning, I need you, Granny Gu, to go over and strike up a conversation with Nie Xiaolan in 302, and instigate a quarrel between her and Yang Xingxing, the tenant across the hall.”

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“Any method you choose is fine. What I need is for them to argue for at least five minutes, and for none of the trouble to come back to me.”

Granny Gu narrowed her long, slitted eyes, gazing thoughtfully at Ji Linmo.
She hadn’t expected such a bizarre request.
“That’s all?”
“For now, that’s all… If you succeed, I’ll hand the item over to you. It’s a deal you can’t lose.”

Granny Gu stared at Ji Linmo, pondering for a moment, then bared her teeth in a wicked grin.
“Young man, I want the item now. If you don’t give it to me immediately, I won’t agree.”

Ji Linmo nodded expressionlessly and took the skirt from his inventory.
But the moment Granny Gu’s fingers touched the skirt, he abruptly grabbed her head by the hair and slammed it hard against the glass window.

Thud!
A dull sound echoed.
The ghostly granny’s blood-red cheek was pressed forcibly against the glass. She tried to lift her head, but the man’s strength was astonishing, pinning her immobile.

“Young man, what do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Granny Gu glared at Ji Linmo in fury, her arms crackling. As she swung her sharp nails toward him, she froze.

The man looking down at her was cold to the extreme, not the slightest trace of unnecessary emotion in his eyes, as if he were merely eyeing a rotting corpse by the roadside.

—She must not provoke him! He could kill her at any moment!

Granny Gu was startled by her own thought.
How could she, a formidable resident, believe this ordinary player could kill her?
It was absurd!
But in the next second, she was paralyzed with fear, her whole body trembling.

The man before her radiated a chilling, overwhelming aura, as if he were an evil spirit crawling from the depths of the underworld, fixing her in his gaze.
How could this be?
How could a living person possess such a sinister energy—one stronger than her own?

“Granny Gu, this is your last chance.”
Ji Linmo’s voice was low, and he pressed harder.
“You’re different from the other residents. There are no rules restraining you. I can do as I please.”

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“So, agree now—or die here.”

Faced with the threat, Granny Gu clenched her teeth, her eyes flashing with hatred.
But just as she prepared to retaliate, the man yanked her hair again and smashed her head against the glass.

Thud, thud, thud!
Three heavy blows left Granny Gu’s head bleeding profusely.
Cracks spread across the floor-to-ceiling window, seeming about to shatter at any moment.

This was no human strength—she was utterly powerless to resist!
Only now did Granny Gu fully grasp the gap between them. Terrified, she cried out in a shrill voice.
“I agree! I agree!”

“But I’ve changed my mind.”
Ji Linmo looked down at her from above.
“I’m adding another condition.”
“I need an MP3 player. Granny Gu, I believe you can find a portable player among all these tenants. I’ll give you thirty minutes.”

Ji Linmo released her, gesturing for her to go.
Watching her hunched figure stumbling back to her apartment in panic, Ji Linmo turned to gaze at the rows of hanging corpses on the balcony.

Before the floor-to-ceiling window, the bodies—each bearing signs of a miserable death and long trails of blood—silently testified: they had been skinned alive, dragging themselves here in agony.
Ji Linmo’s eyes lowered, his hair falling to shadow them.
He raised his hand, lit a lighter, and tossed it.
Flames leapt along the corpse oil trickling from the skins, igniting instantly, roaring hungrily.

“My balcony… my balcony…”
Twenty minutes later, watching black smoke curl up from the balcony, Granny Gu swallowed hard, not daring to protest, and respectfully handed over the portable music player.

Many had brought items from the game, and she hadn’t had time to sort through them all, so she’d tossed the clothes and belongings aside. Unexpectedly, they were now of use.